Parabatai
by KoMoose
Summary: "I would like you to be my parabatai?" Jace said. Alec's eyes went wide. Rated T for swearing, please read and review!


Jace walked the hall in jeans and an old T-shirt. His bare feet padded against the stone floor without a sound. The door was closed and Jace didn't bother knocking. The black haired boy was sitting at his desk, his head bent over the notebook in front of him. He didn't look up as Jace helped himself to the unoccupied bed in the corner.

"Jace," Alec said, "To what do I owe this great honor."

The sarcasm was not lost on Jace. He stared at his newly adopted brother with freshly lit curiosity. Sarcasm in the Lightwood household was something Jace only associated with Isabelle and sometimes Max. Alec may be fourteen but he never acted his age, nor did he look it. Even in sweatpants, an over sized black sweatshirt, and his hair sticking up in all directions -as though it was early morning instead of late afternoon- he looked sixteen or seventeen.

Jace smiled at this. "I'm bored." He complained.

Alec rolled his eyes, "And I'm too do what about that?"

Jace sighed and looked past Alec to the bow that was hanging on his wall. It was an old thing with an arrow notched on it's string. Alec had told him that it was an heirloom he had received when he had started his shadowhunter training. Jace had never seen the room without it. Apparently it had belonged to the man Alec was named after. The bow itself was unusable which is way it hung on the wall in Alec's room instead of the wall in the weapons room. There was a long crack that ran length ways across the bow. Jace had created a whole battle in his head as he came up with ways that a brake like that could have occurred. Alec was still scribbling in his notebook as Jace just sat there staring at the wall.

"I want to go hunting." He finely decided.

At this Alec snapped to attention. "You what?"

"I want to hunt." Jace repeated a little slower.

Alec put down his pen and turned his full attention to him. "Are you insane?" He said calmly. "My mom said hunting was off limits and besides aren't you and Izzy grounded?"

Jace smiled at poor naive Alec.

"Okay," Alec admitted, "but look, you might not mind getting grounded for life but I do! You don't get an hour long speech on how you're the oldest..." Alec started ranting on all the stuff his parents threw at him whenever Jace or Izzy talked him into doing something... well bad. Jace didn't find it very odd that he didn't get a huge speech but it was odd that Isabelle didn't. All blame went on Alec... the eldest. "Besides," He continued, "why ask me, why not ask Izzy?"

"Ah... Isabelle. She's already gone."

"Gone where?"

Jace just shrugged. Alec sighed -unconcerned with his sisters whereabouts- and turned back to his homework, which Jace now identified as the Demonology homework Hodge had given them, which he, Jace Wayland, had finished more then an hour ago. "Alec," he said, "I'm suffocating, I need to get out and I want you to come." When Alec didn't move Jace did something he thought might shock him into compliance. "Please, Alec."

He looked at him, wavering on the edge. "Can we do something other then hunting?" Alec asked.

"Why?"

"Because-"

"What..." Jace said in a mocking tone, "you're not afraid... are you?"

Alec looked angry, "I'm not afraid." he snapped.

"Good!" Jace said bouncing off the bed. "Shall we go then?"

Alec didn't move as he tried to hide the look of fear that was so plain on his face. He had only ever gone hunting twice and both times they all come back with a nasty amount of battle scars. After the last one Mayrise had banded hunting until further notice. But Jace needed it. He needed it and he needed Alec to come with him.

"I've got your back and you have mine. Right?" He spoke the words his father had spoken to him on their first hunting trip together, hoping they'ed work on Alec the way they had him. They did.

"Okay." Alec said, getting up from his desk. "I got your back, Jace."

"Jace!" Alec called, "It's been hours and we haven't found a single demon!"

The boys dodged traffic as they ran across the road with none of the drivers being the wiser. Jace walked up a little ways ahead of Alec, playing with handle of his Seraph blade at his side.

"We'll find something." Jace told him, "There's always some-" He stopped dead as the sound of a struggle reached him. "You hear that?" He asked his companion.

Alec froze by his side. "Yeah..." He said quietly. "Where's that coming from?"

Jace took off towards the sound. It was so muffled that he could barley hear it. It stopped when he reached a dark allyway. Without his witchlight he couldn't see anything beyond two feet in front of him.

"Do you think whatever was done where left?" Alec whispered so softly he almost mouthed it. Aloud scream echoed through the ally, nearly shattering Jace's eardrums and emerging through the darkness was a black, leathery creator with bright red eyes. "Scatter!" Jace hollered and both boys dived out of the way. The monster stretched out his hands and long talons appeared, almost as long as the dagger Jace had strapped to his leg. It raked them towards Alec then with amazing speed shot up the side of the building. Jace cussed loudly and ran out towards the street. He saw the monster jumping from rooftop to buildings side as though he was made of flypaper. "Alec!" He called, but his brother was nowhere near him. He looked around and spotted the light blue light from the alleyway. From a distance Jace could only make out Alec's silhouette, as he moved closer he saw another shape at Alec's feet and then he saw the whole scene brought to life by Alec's witchlight. His whole stomach jumped into his mouth, a girl -who couldn't be older then twelve- was lying in a large pool of blood. She had long red hair, her frame was so same, Jace guessed that she only weighed about 60 or 70 pounds at the most, her eyes were a lifeless brown. He looked at Alec. In the light his face looked green and perspiration dripping off his forehead even though it was a cold night. Jace looked at the ground in front of him... Alec had thrown up.

"She's dead." Alec breathed. "I..." He gulped, "I cheeked."

"First dead body?" Jace asked, Alec nodded. "Come on." He grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the girl, away from the dark ally.

"We need to alert the Clave." Alec said, his voice still shaky but stronger, his face was less green.

"No, what we need to do is find that son of a bitch and... bring him to justice." Jace said, trying for a smile.

Alec was watching his feet.

_Oh god please don't go into shock!_ Jace prayed to himself.

"No." Alec's voice did not shake as he spoke, "We go home and tell Hodge, he can alert the Clave and they can deal with this." Alec's voice was as cold as stone and so were his eyes.

"It will take an hour to get back to the institute. Maybe two hours more for the Clave to respond if we're lucky let alone send someone and even when they do," Jace said firmly, "I highly doubt that I'd be able to identify the creature even if they did find him. Do you?"

Alec's face didn't change as he spoke. "Jace, we are not going after-"

"Then he get's away!"

Alec stared passed him, at the alleyway where the girls body still lay. His strong mask faded into uncertainty. "Jace..."

"I've got your back and you've got mine, right?"

Alec looked at him then smiled a small, sad, scared smile. "Right." Alec looked around, "How do we go about it?"

"We might be able to pick up a trail at the ally."

Alec's witchlight lit up the alleyway and the girl. He did his best not to going anywhere near her. That was Jace's job. He walked around her with his own witchlight, trying to see anything that might lead them to her killer... or at lest to give them a clue as to that the hell it was!

"Hey, Jace." Alec was staring at the side of the building. For a moment he didn't see what Alec wanted him to see but then... blood. More blood then could possible have been in that small girl. It was smeared on the walls like fresh paint.

"Damn." Was all he could say.

"I think I've said this before but what now?" Alec asked.

"We climb."

Alec looked at him like he was crazy. "Climb what?"

Jace bent down as though he was going to touch his toes and propelled himself into the air. He grabbed hold of the windowsill that was just above his. "Like this!" He called down. He waited for Alec but it took longer then he had expected. Finally Alec was at his side.

"Why is this," He complained as they climbed higher. "The only building in New York without a fire esca-" he jumped for the windowsill to his left and it was as though his hand went right through the sill... And he fell. Jace watched it as though in slow motion, it was like Alec was suspended in midair 30 feet above the ground. Without Jace having to tell it too his arm shot out for him. His hand wrapping itself around Alec's wrist.

"I've got you!"

Alec grabbed hold of Jace's wrist with both his hands, he was swinging back and forth as he tried to still himself but he was only making it worse.

"Alec stop moving!" Jace yelled.

Alec held himself as still as he could. "Don't drop me, Jace!" He begged tightening his grip on Jace's arm.

Jace in turn tightened his own grip on his brother. "I've got you, I've got you." He chanted. Jace pulled him up so that he could grab the ledge. Both boys just hung there for a moment gasping for breath and trying to make their heart beats slowdown. "Lets not do that again, shall we?" Jace said once his heart went back down into his chest instead of in his throat.

"I can agree to that." Alec laughed.

"What's so funny?" Jace demanded.

"Every time." Alec said, "Every flipping time I do something with you I almost die." He looked at Jace grinning. "I need to just start expecting it."

Jace let out a short laugh as they began to climb again. They got to the top without another incidence. "I've never tracked anyone before," Alec told Jace, "what are we looking... oh well that was easy."

Jace nodded at him as they both began to follow the trail of blood that led to the waterfront. "How is there this much blood?" Jace asked, more to himself then to Alec.

"I don't know." Alec answered. The trail was beginning to fade but it was still wet, only a few spots were drying in the cool night air. "And how the hell has no one noticed it!?" Alec snapped as two Mundanes in business suites walked right through it coating the bottom of their shoes red.

"Glamour would be my guess."

"But on the blood?"

Jace didn't answer. He moved to where the bloodline ended under a door in a broken down building. "Now why would you leave such a messy trail?"

"How did it leave such a messy trail?" Alec asked, "I mean..." He shuddered.

"I don't know... maybe it's hurt."

"How?"

"I don't know." He snapped. "Just arm yourself." Jace pulled his dagger out of its thigh sheath as Alec notched an arrow. "Lets go."

The door opened a little to loudly for Jace's liking. There was no light but neither boy took out their witchlight rune stones. Their eyes took a minute to adjust to the lowlighting but then they could see that it was a one floor building. "Must have been a warehouse." Jace whispered, the walls were made out of rusty pieces of scrap medal and boxes were stacked to the celling.

"Aw..." A deep voice sounded from the darkness. "Look at this, two baby shadowhunters."

The boys spun around trying to detect where the voice was coming from, but neither could. "We're teens you dumb ass." Jace snapped.

Alec hissed at him. The voice from the shadow's laughed. "You got stones kid. To bad I'm gonna have to kill you. Now..."

"Counting game." Jace whispered. Alec tapped him on the shoulder as an answer.

"Should I kill you quickly or should we have some fun?"

_Keep him talking, locate his position._ "Oh," Jace sneered, "You couldn't handle it."

The monster laughed again. It echoed from the east. "Oh sweetheart, I don't think you understand what you're up against." _Two O'clock_.

"By order of the Clave you are under arrested!" Jace yelled into the darkness.

"Am I baby shadowhunter?" The monster said and Jace tapped Alec twice on the shoulder. "And whose- AH!" The beast cried out in pain as Alec's arrow flew home. A large human figure fell from the rafters and hit the floor with a thud. What Jace had thought was black leather was actually the man's (or what was once a man) skin. His dark hair fell in dreadlocks to his waist and he wasn't wearing any cloths. He was dripping in blood like water after you just stepped out of a bath. Alec's arrow was logged in his chest but the bloody hippie was smiling. "You missed."

"Missed..." Alec said quietly.

"Yes, you missed my heart!" And with that he flew towards Alec, claws extended.

Alec reached back for another arrow but Jace knew he wouldn't be fast enough. He jumped for the vampire and slammed him aside before he could touch Alec, but he did hit the bow. It went skidding across the floor and Alec bolted after it. Jace blocked the vampires blow with his dagger and followed it with a wicked backhand, sending the bloodsucker flying. Jace pulled out his Seraph blade and the beast charged him. "_Michael_!" He cried and the bloodsucker hit his around the middle, knocking the wind out of him -and _Michael_ from his hand- and proceeded to slugging his in the face as his fangs grew. Then an arrow tip stuck out from his chest right where his heart should be. Black blood bubbled out of his mouth and he fell forward... On top of Jace.

"Did I miss now, ass hole?" Alec's voice sounded from somewhere Jace couldn't see.

"I'm very happy for you Alec, now can you get this thing off me so I can give you a round of applause?"

"Oh yeah!" The dead vampire was pulled off of him and Alec stud above him with an out stretched hand. Now covered in blood. Jace grabbed it anyway, ignoring the pain in his chest. Alec had his witchlight in his other hand that ulumanated the gashes on his face. Apparently Jace didn't get to the vampire in time.

"You okay?"

Alec shrugged, "Ah... my face kinda hurts." He gave Jace a once over. "Ew."

Jace smiled, "I bet." He took out his stele and tried to grab Alec's wrist.

"You're covered in that things blood." Alec compland, pulling his wrist back.

"Hold still will you?" Jace complained grabbing Alec wrist. "Baby." He muttered.

"Are you done yet?" Alec asked through gritted teeth.

Jace pulled the stele away and looked down at the healing rune he had just burned into Alec's skin. "Yep." He looked at Alec with an odd fondness he'd never felt towards anyone. Alec just stared back as though he was waiting for Jace to say something... so he did. "I would like you to be my parabatai."

Alec's eyes went wide. For a long while he just stared at Jace, and Jace aloud him. No need to rush him.

"You want me as your parabatai?" Alec finally said.

"Uh, yes."

Alec looked at his feet, then to the dead -really, truly, never going to rise again dead- vampire as if he held the answer to this question that was obviously puzzling Alec. "Why?" He asked looked at Jace again.

"Because I do." Alec gave him a look so he continued. "Do you see this?" He asked motioning to the rouge vampire. "Look what we did tonight as a team. I... I need you Alec, I want you to be my parabatai because I think we could be the best there ever was. I don't think and jump right into the action, you think before you jump into anything… maybe a little to much." Jace added, "We balance each other out."

Alec looked at Jace as though he had just asked him if it was okay to start dating Isabelle. Then he walked away, over to where an arrow laid on the concret. He picked it up and placed it back in his quiver. "Okay." He said to the opposite wall.

Jace couldn't help but feel pride at their new unity. They would be the best there ever was, is, and will be.

"But only on one condition."

"Okay."

"You have to take some of the heat for this." He pointed at the vampire.

Jace looked at the hippie on the concert floor, then at the mess they had created throwing each other around. "Not likely." He told Alec.

He smiled. "I thought I'd give it a shot."

Jace smiled back at his soon to be parabatai. "Oh definitely!" Jace agreed as they both left the warehouse. "I don't think we'll be in too much trouble, not with the Clave at lest. I mean we did just take down a rouge vampire."

"Okay." Alec said, "But what about my mother?"

"Now that is a wild card."

Alec laughed.


End file.
